A Day to Remember to kick off The Podium’s new music venue on Oct. 14

May 13, 2022 Updated Fri., May 13, 2022 at 8:54 p.m.

Jerry McKinnon of A Day to Remember performs at Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival on Sept. 11 at Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. A Day to Remember is set to launch the new GA music venue at The Podium on Oct. 14. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

By Ed Condran edc@spokesman.com (509) 459-5440

It’s apt that rock band A Day to Remember will christen The Podium with a live concert Oct. 14.

The concert is expected to highlight the venue which opened last year, filling a void for local entertainment. The Podium has a 4,200-person capacity that includes 2,200 on the floor and another 2,000 in the seated grandstand areas.

The modern venue has VIP floor locations and multiple bars, and it’s near the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

“Adding this GA (general admission) venue is huge,” said Matt Meyer, director of entertainment for the Spokane Public Facilities District, which includes the Podium, Spokane Arena and First Interstate Center for the Arts. “We lost A Day to Remember and AJR a few years ago. They wanted a GA venue. I get it. It adds to the excitement in the show.”

Meyer knew how significant a venue the size of The Podium would be, and he was often reminded of it: “I was at a Pollstar conference (in Los Angeles), and I started talking to a promoter, and he said, ‘Dude, Spokane needs this.’ I talked to another guy who has a club in Boise, the Revolution, which is 2,200 capacity. He said he would send recording artists to Spokane. There is such a need for this venue.”

The initial Podium reports were negative due to sight lines and sonics, but that’s being taken care of, according to Meyer.

The Podium, a $53 million facility near the north bank of the Spokane River, has been used so far for elite track and field events, volleyball and basketball, and this summer will be hosting a national karate tournament. It is now in the final phase of construction for acoustic treatment, which includes building a curtain system and adding a truss system for lighting and production. The large-club-style venue is planning to fully open in October with an array of shows.

Tickets for A Day to Remember go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.; tickets are $49.50 and $69.50 at ticketswest.com. The Used, Movements and Magnolia Park will open. A number of other shows will be announced in the coming weeks once they are confirmed, Meyer said.